Broken Promises, Shattered Heart |✓

T E N

C H A P T E R  T E N

Olivia had a pleasant life, with no sorrows greater than the death of her pet canary Glory in second grade. Now, she felt that her world was collapsing.

To an adult, losing a best friend and crying over it might seem like a silly thing to do, but for Olivia, it meant the end of her universe. She sobbed her eyes out in the girls' restroom and she did not try to stifle her cries, for she knew it would be useless. She did not care if anyone heard her. She did not care about anything.

The door of the cubicle next to her opened, and she heard a voice.

"Whoever you are, your cries can be heard until the end of the hallway. Be thankful that there was no one there except for me."

She felt faint recognition, but did not bother to identify the familiar tone.

"Please go away. I don't want to bother anyone. I'm happy by myself."

There came a snort. "Well, you are clearly not happy, otherwise you wouldn't be bawling like a little baby in there."

Olivia was a little offended. "That was rude. Listen, I don't want anyone else interfering in my life, so please don't bother."

"I'm going to wait in the restroom until you come out whether you like it or not. You can't stay in there forever."

This banter went back and forth for about an hour, until Olivia gave up. She wiped her face with a tissue, although she knew it was hopeless. Her face probably resembled a scary Halloween mask.

When she stepped out of her cubicle, she saw a girl with thick, wavy ombre locks standing in front of the mirror, checking her face. When she heard Olivia's tentative footsteps, she turned towards her.

It was Tara Brooke, the very girl she had seen in the café.

"Olivia Barton?" she looked incredulous. It was no surprise, as Olivia always portrayed a strong personality. She was only brittle on the inside.

"Here, use these make up wipes. Wash your face after that and take a few deep breaths. You don't want anyone to see you like this, do you?"

Olivia shook her head, and took the wipes from Tara's outstretched hands. It took a while until she could calm down and look relatively normal.

"Now, do you want to tell me what happened?" asked Tara, with a hand on her hip.

Olivia hesitated. She was generally not a very open person, and telling a girl she barely knew about her troubles would be against her basic nature. But then, her life was also undergoing a drastic change, so why not give it a go? After all, this girl had shown more compassion than her supposed 'friends' had.

She poured out everything that had been on her mind for the past couple of weeks, and to her credit, Tara listened to every single word attentively. After she finished speaking, she felt exhausted, yet light-headed. Who would have thought that emptying her thoughts would give her a sense of relief?

Tara had a strangled expression on her face. When enquired as to why she looked like she was about to burst, she replied, "I know what it feels like to lose a best friend. However, my situation was a lot different compared to yours. But still, the ache you have when someone you trust so much hurts you is probably the most painful thing ever."

She was surprised, as she thought that nobody could understand what she was going through. Tara's words were phrased exactly like her thoughts.

"You know what? Fuck those bitches who were supposed to be your friends. Fuck Gabrielle who had to come in between your happiness. But most importantly, fuck Harry Badeaux for making promises he never meant to keep. You are with me now, and I'm going to do my best to make you happy."

She felt a rush of warmth and gratitude. Here was a girl she barely spoke to, who listened to her, empathised, and offered a hand of friendship when no one else did.

Olivia smiled, and held Tara's outstretched hand.

"Thank you."